Wayanad landslides due to illegal mining activity, unchecked construction, says Union Minister Bhupender Yadav

Bhupender Yadav said the government was in the process to finalise the draft notification on declaring ecologically sensitive areas (ESA) in Western Ghats

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Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav (File Photo)

IN HIS first comments after the Wayanad landslides last week, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said “illegal mining, uncontrolled construction and unregulated commercial activity” coupled with heavy rainfall led to the disaster. The landslides in the early hours of July 30 claimed over 220 lives, while an equal number are still missing.

Yadav said with the exception of an in-principle approval granted for a road project involving construction of a twin tunnel near Meppadi, where the disaster occurred, the Environment Ministry had not granted clearance to any project in the region in the last decade.

“Wayanad incident gives us a lesson that illegal mining and illegal habitation can put lives in danger… When we set up habitations and projects in these regions, it’s important to understand soil topography, geomorphology, what is the slope angle, what is the vegetation? That is why we saw this disaster following heavy rain,” said Yadav.

Yadav said the government was in the process to finalise the draft notification on declaring ecologically sensitive areas (ESA) in Western Ghats. He said the expert committee, formed under the chairmanship of former director general of forests Sanjay Kumar, was appraising the submissions of the six Western Ghats states — Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Also Read | Madhav Gadgil writes: Wayanad tragedy exposes the gulf between haves and have-nots

Ministry sources said the government could also issue state-specific notifications for declaring ESAs since different states face different problems while finalising villages to be declared ESAs. In 2014, the former UPA government at the Centre had declared 60,000 sqkm in the six Western Ghats states as ESA in a draft notification. This was based on the recommendations of an expert panel led by space scientist K Kasturirangan.

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